Best lighting for SHs

[Ahwagirl]

I replaced the hood on my BioCube with a light fixture that sits on top of legs instead. This is a preventative measure to stave off the tank temp rising in the Phoenix summer heat. I may add a fan fixture too.

The new light fixture comes with 2, 50/50 lights: 10,000 natural daylight and actinic blue. When I was running the lights in the built-in hood I kept it on the daytime blue a good part of the time as I've read that SHs don't like bright light.

I am considering swapping out the 50/50 lights with blue actinic only. The only thing in the BioCube are the SHs, a few snails, cleaner shrimp, and some macro algae (prolifera) that I'd like to keep growing.

Thoughts on the lighting? Will the SH's get used to the 50/50 light after 3 months of the blue most of the time? Should I swap out the 50/50 for all actinic? What about the plants.

Any input is appreciated. :dance:

 

[Octoshark]

I am not a lighting expert, but I would personally keep the half natural white/half actinic. I wouldnt go 100% blue actinic, especially when housing plants (are you actually referring to macro algae, or do you really have plants/seagrass?).

 

[Ahwagirl]

It's macroalgae (prolifera). Maybe I'll get the blues and keep them on hand in case the summer heat creeps up the temps. I have an open tank now so that should help and I can also add the cooling fans if needed.

Thanks for the input-- much appreciated.

 

[Jason7504]

the macro won't do as well under the blues since it needs more spectrum to carry out photosynthesis so i'd stay with some 6500k or 10k bulbs too. SH's can handle more light than that

 

[Ahwagirl]

Awesome-- thanks! I added another LR today and it offers them some "shade" with hitches if they want it. Plus I'll add a lunar clip-on light for night. This should work well.

 

[Elysia]

IMO & IME horses do well w/ a dawn, daylight, dusk, moonlight lighting sequence. I know that it is often said that lighting doesn't really matter to horses, but they are diurnal creatures and most of their activity is clued into their "day." My last male would wake up and hunt a bit in the morning (the first hour when just the actinics were on), and then go for his "morning jog" for the first hour the daylights were on -- it seemed to be his favorite time of the day, as some of the other lazy fish were still mucking about in dream land. He swam all over that 56 gallon collumn, top to bottom, bobbing along, on his morning constitutional. He did the same thing in the evening, this time when the actinics came on, but it was never as extensive as in the morning. During the rest of the day, I rarely saw him move about the tank, although he would often be in different places.

With my pair, the different lighting periods allowed me to witness their pair bonding, their mating, and the male's release of fry. These are all things that are usually time sensitive. So if you can set up your bulbs on two different timers, that is what I would do, so that one goes on an earlier and stays on an hour later each day, to sort of simulate a dawn/dusk effect.

 

[Ahwagirl]

What a great, story, Elysia. So cute! I am adding a lunar light to the tank so there will be some differences for them. Good suggestions! :rollface:

IMO & IME horses do well w/ a dawn, daylight, dusk, moonlight lighting sequence. I know that it is often said that lighting doesn't really matter to horses, but they are diurnal creatures and most of their activity is clued into their "day." My last male would wake up and hunt a bit in the morning (the first hour when just the actinics were on), and then go for his "morning jog" for the first hour the daylights were on -- it seemed to be his favorite time of the day, as some of the other lazy fish were still mucking about in dream land. He swam all over that 56 gallon collumn, top to bottom, bobbing along, on his morning constitutional. He did the same thing in the evening, this time when the actinics came on, but it was never as extensive as in the morning. During the rest of the day, I rarely saw him move about the tank, although he would often be in different places.

With my pair, the different lighting periods allowed me to witness their pair bonding, their mating, and the male's release of fry. These are all things that are usually time sensitive. So if you can set up your bulbs on two different timers, that is what I would do, so that one goes on an earlier and stays on an hour later each day, to sort of simulate a dawn/dusk effect.

 

[pledosophy]

I'm guessing prolifera would do O.K. with all actinic lighting. It's just a guess really. It barely needs any light to grow. I'm running an entire 25g tank off one spiral CF bulb (I think it's 6w's total) and the prolifera grows in there like nothing.

While the growth rate is supposedly ideal under 6500K bulbs, I don't think the algae knows that. The growth rate at other temperatures is still pretty good.

I had an all actinic mushroom propagation system that grew hair algae like no ones business if that is relevant at all, it might be different.

IME different horses personalities shows differently. IME I had some comes that were crazy active at night and statues during the day. They were smart, the pods were out at night. My barb, didn't move from the time the lights went out until they went back on, even with the moonlights. The reidi moved around, but not nearly as much as the comes.

They are all different. I do enjoy the changes in the lighting throughout the day. I do also like the moonlights.

Just my ramblings.